Overworked
by CherryRedHead
Summary: Ch. 8! Yay! Can you see the FFX characters making video games at SquareSoft? I can.. and this is the result! (This is my 1st fic. Reviews would be nice. V. bad summary!)
1. Meet and Greet

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy X, or Final Fantasy VII, or SquareSoft.but I will someday. Somehow.  
  
Typical. It had rained right through her time off and now the weather was perfect, the sky almost as blue as Cloud's eyes. Almost. He almost made it worth getting up and going to work for. Almost.  
  
Maybe my memory's just tainted, thought Rikku. I'm so stupid, I've been dreaming about him and I bet he doesn't even remember me.  
  
Of course he does, said her good, optimistic side, the little angel with the puff of blonde hair and huge pools of green ink for eyes, didn't you spend time with him? Didn't he love you for you? No-one is forgettable. Come on, Rikku, get a grip.  
  
I wish, she thought bitterly, and opened the curtains, muttering angrily about 'how unnatural it is for the sun to be so bright at this time of day.'  
  
That's right, said the self-conscious, negative part of her. It always appeared as a sort of side-effect to the misty-eyed good feelings that thoughts of Cloud gave her. It's natural for people to forget too. Even the prettiest girls get forgotten, and let's face it, you're OK but not exactly something to write home about. You'd be better off realizing that he's moved on, and you should too, because he's never going to look twice at you again.  
  
But he must, thought Rikku, eyes shut tight as if in desperate prayer, we met, we laughed, we held on fast.  
  
And then you said goodbye, finished the voice in her ear.  
  
But that's just a word. Goodbye. You can't hurt me with it.  
  
Oh, said the voice, so full of spite, I can, I will, just like you did. Did it look like he was remembering you that night at Freya's? The voice was closer now, like a lover might whisper in another's ear, but this was far from loving and it knocked Rikku like a physical blow.  
  
No, wished Rikku blindly, you're wrong, you're wrong. We met, we laughed, we held on fast.  
  
And then you said goodbye. The voice was right in her head now. And then you said goodbye.  
  
Her own voice was failing now, overpowered by the vengeful tones, backing down, admitting defeat.  
  
And then you said goodbye. Not him. You. You. You.  
  
She woke up, gulping in air, swallowing hard in a futile attempt to calm her ragged breathing. She swiped under her eyes with her hand. No tears this time. She wasn't doing too badly. She needed more sleep, though. Rikku was always a little afraid to sleep again after a dream like that, lest the nightmare return. Sssh, it's okay, she told herself, willing her heart to believe what her head dictated. It won't happen twice in one night, and come tomorrow, you won't remember this at all.  
  
---  
  
'Aeris! Over here!'  
  
Aeris swung round to see Yuna waiting for her, leaning against the door. She looked like a new person. Yuna was slimmer (Aeris couldn't fathom how she'd lost the weight from her already excellent figure) and was showing it off to her advantage in a tailored pair of black jeans and a silvery top with long sleeves. The top heightened her pale skin and transformed her entirely. Her whole person seemed to be a different story. Had it not been for the braid in her hair, and the two different coloured eyes, Aeris would simply have walked past her friend experiencing a mild stab of jealousy at the girl's overall demeanour. Yuna's eyes still conveyed respect, but she glowed with confidence and composure. She had hardly changed physically yet seemed to be holding herself differently.  
  
Aeris felt like a small admiring figure next to her hyper-attractive friend. She was quite frankly beautiful herself, her tendril-like chestnut hair was always in fantastic condition and her turquoise eyes sparkled with intelligence-but Aeris was completely unaware of this, and she suffered from insecurity as much as any average female. Aeris also failed to realise that she was way above average-a fact Yuna parroted constantly.  
  
'Did you have a good summer?' asked Yuna.  
  
Aeris laughed. 'Yeah, I did. Well, it wasn't too bad, you obviously had a better one than me or I'd look as hot as you!'  
  
Yuna flashed her a death look, saying 'I am not hot!' then adding 'We'd better get to this department meeting. Can't be late on our first day back!' She glanced around. 'I think we already are.'  
  
The two girls picked a hasty path to the meeting room, Yuna admiring Aeris's jacket, skirt, hair, boots, bag ('Yuna, it's my old bag!') and necklace. Aeris just laughed it off.  
  
'Stop it. You know how I am with clothes; I just throw on the first things I come into contact with.' Aeris sat down at the elliptical table, Yuna following suit. From their seats, they could see everyone in the room, but the only familiar faces were those of Cloud, Vincent and Auron.  
  
'Jeez,' said Cloud, 'We're stuck with all the girls!' Vincent raised an eyebrow and Cloud grinned. 'Okay, so that might not be such a bad thing. Aeris is over there so it looks like you're in already. Yuna.hmm.she's lookin' mighty fine, but I don't think so.'  
  
Vincent groaned. 'Translation. "Rikku isn't here, so I'd better see if she's single first." How many times do I have to say it? Get yourself another, hotter, chick. There's not exactly a shortage of them.'  
  
'Maybe, but there's a shortage of chicks hot for me, and Rikku is now just a smudged phrase in my story.'  
  
'Very poetic,' Auron chuckled, 'Maybe you should transfer from character design to scriptwriting.'  
  
'Wow,' countered Cloud, 'He speaks. But if you don't mind, I'd rather be me than you, 'cause there's maybe two ladies here who I stand a chance with and you have as much chance of finding a girl as Vincent does of.let's see.getting a date with that skinny little thing over there in the black pants.'  
  
'Where?' asked Vincent.  
  
'Look out the window. Blue stripy fitted shirt. Looks a little under pressure.'  
  
At that very moment the girl in the blue stripy fitted shirt was running so fast she thought her lungs would explode. She was also berating herself furiously.  
  
'Yuffie, you idiot, late again, in big trouble, gone straight past the door, DAMMIT, sorry I'm late, Miss Lockheart. It won't happen again.'  
  
'It had better not,' warned the Department Manager.  
  
Yuffie sighed. Her boss was yet another person who had blossomed over the two-week break. Her long curly hair was streaked with blonde and she had lost at least five pounds. Where was Rikku? Her friend also worked at the department's front desk but she was nowhere in sight. Yuffie was marginally grateful-she wasn't sure she could face yet another person who had become amazingly beautiful.  
  
Thankfully, she looked fairly regular, a shade more tan than usual. Her already blonde hair had been lightened by the sun and her emerald eyes sparkled with their usual vivacity. She sprang to her feet at the sight of her friend framed in the doorway.  
  
'Yuff!' Squeezing her in a tight hug, Rikku half dragged, half carried her across the room before depositing her on a chair. 'What did you eat for breakfast? Cement?'  
  
Yuffie blushed. 'Thanks a lot, Rik. You really know how to make a person feel good. I come in, everyone's turned into supermodels and now you ask if I eat cement.'  
  
'Um, excuse me, Rik?! My name is Rikku, R-I-K-K-U.'  
  
'Um, Yuff? My name is Yuffie, Y-U-F-F-I-E. And the Rik was just my little way of saying thanks for your cement concerns.'  
  
Rikku grinned, then burst out laughing. Yuffie joined in, noticing that a black-haired girl was laughing too.  
  
Rikku tried and failed to pull herself together. 'This, this is,' she broke off and started over, 'This is, this is.'  
  
The girl composed herself instantly. Her brain kicking in was almost audible. 'I'm Lulu.'  
  
Yuffie was transfixed. She was taking in everything about Lulu, eyes travelling slowly from her partially braided liquorice-black hair right down to the floor. There were no shoes visible. She was looking strikingly individual in a fitted black silk shirt and a long, sweeping, storm-grey denim skirt. The skirt was panelled and got wider as it got longer. The result was a very baggy, floor length piece of clothing which was more tailored around the hips, revealing a curvy shape.  
  
'Hi,' said Yuffie, snapping out of it almost as quickly as she had begun laughing earlier. She opened her mouth but was distracted by the entrance of two athletic-looking guys. She wasn't the only one. Every female in the room was staring without inhibitions and each male had a varying degree of contempt on his face. For the second time in five minutes Yuffie was drawn in, but once again noticed Lulu, this time how indifferent she seemed. 


	2. Introductions and Challenges

Hey! I didn't write this at the start of my first chapter. but anyway I was wondering what it would be like if all the FF10 characters worked at SquareSoft and what jobs they would do. (Cloud, Auron, Vincent-character design, Yuna, Aeris-office work, secretarial etc, Yuffie, Rikku-front desk, Tidus, Wakka-games testers, Lulu-cover artwork). Flame me (or just review)! I need to improve! This is the first thing I've actually had the guts to post. (  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own it! Any of it!  
  
**++**  
  
'Sorry we're late, Miss Lockheart, ya?'  
  
'If it's a problem, let us, know, okay? We don't have to make major apologies, right?'  
  
'Oh, alright, I'll let you off. But Wakka, Tidus, enough. Any more lates and you'll be explaining yourselves to the Director.'  
  
'Dammit.' The blonde swore to himself. He was well-built and muscular, clearly someone who enjoyed sport. His eyes were as blue as his companion's hair was orange. The graffiti on his bag was clearly visible: TIDUS ROCKS MAN!  
  
The orange-haired of the two was taller, more broad-shouldered. He had a brilliantly white smile, the kind that bounces across the room and lights everything up. It was certainly doing some bouncing right now. His bag was graffiti-free; even so, anyone with reasonable powers of deduction knew that this was Wakka.  
  
Deduction wasn't a requirement. The pair had practically been legend in their high school; they were amazingly good sports players, attractive and fairly intelligent into the bargain. Tidus enjoyed more success with the ladies than Wakka did. This was mostly down to their basic personality differences. Tidus was very much a sweet-talker (getting round his Department Manager, the pretty Miss Lockheart, was a speciality) although he was always holding something back slightly. Wakka was great to be around, but he sometimes suffered from the inability to say things exactly the way he meant them.  
  
They say down, Tidus clocking the girls in the room and then the guys. Virtually every girl in the room was taken, and as for the guys-better not to go there. There was also a small gathering of people he didn't recognise. One was distinctly more gothic than the others, sketchbook in hand, looking like she was praying for a helicopter, a gas mask and a smoke grenade. Her companions were talking and laughing.  
  
Wakka was just doing his thing of smiling at everyone until he noticed Tidus leaning towards him.  
  
'Hey Wakka, d'you know who that chick is?'  
  
'Where?'  
  
'The one in the corner.'  
  
'Well, I don't know the two who are all giggly, so I'm guessin' it's Miss Goth-Off-Her-Face you want, ya? The name's Lulu, think maybe it's short for Tallulah or somethin'. She was in my first-year physics class at high school. Why are you asking? You don't LIKE her, do you?' said Wakka, accompanying his words with a wolfish grin and an elbow in Tidus' ribs.  
  
'No! She's not my type. She just looks ready to murder Miss Lockheart so she could escape.'  
  
'Wouldn't put it past her either. She's really odd; you don't want to be getting mixed up with types like her. She's cold. Not like the other girls in this place. You get within three feet of her and she looks ready to scratch your eyes out.'  
  
'Ouch. My eyes.'  
  
'Your beautiful blue eyes that are famous through all SquareSoft.'  
  
Tidus laughed and high-fived Wakka. 'Damn right.'  
  
**++**  
  
'Excuse me? I've been given the wrong network username.'  
  
The secretary smiled apologetically. 'It's been happening a lot. There's been a mix-up with the computer. Do you know which department you're in, and where your office is? You'll have to register there.'  
  
'I know my office is Creatives 201, if that's any help.'  
  
'Hmmm. there's only one left for that room. Are you the girl who transferred?'  
  
'Yes. I came from the North-East offices.'  
  
'Oh. Do you know where you're going?'  
  
'Not exactly.'  
  
'Down the corridor, up the stairs and it's the fifth on the right. Should be a sign on the door anyway.'  
  
'Thankyou.'  
  
'It's my job. Here's your new username.'  
  
'Right. Thanks again.' The girl turned and began to walk away.  
  
It was no trouble finding the right room. When the door swung open, the whole room looked up from their respective paperwork and the Department Manager stood up, smoothing her jacket.  
  
'Hello. I'm Areda Thornton, the department manager. Are you our new character designer?'  
  
'Yes. Hi.'  
  
The new designer held out her hand and the older woman shook it, noting how firm this girl's handshake was. A good sign.  
  
'Maybe you'd like to take a seat? We were just about to begin our department meeting, we have one every Monday morning. There's a seat next to Auron. Or next to-actually, that's about it.' She leaned closer and lowered her voice. 'I'm sorry, he's a little sullen. But he's in character design too, one of our best actually.'  
  
'It's okay. I'm sure I can deal with him. Auron, I mean.' The girl spun around, her long hair rippling with the movement.  
  
Her hair was one of many striking things about her. It was brown with blonde highlights-a fairly unusual mix here, but nevertheless effective and attractive. She walked over to the empty seat next to Auron and shrugged her bag off her shoulders before sitting down. The people around her were a blonde-haired guy who instantly brought a smile to her lips, a guy with dark hair almost flowing over his shoulders, and Auron, who also had dark hair, but shorter with a ponytail at the back, and with some kind of streaks. All three were attractive in their unkemptness. Maybe she was lucky.  
  
The non-Auron non-blonde said 'Hi, I'm Vincent. This is Cloud and this is Auron.'  
  
Cloud turned around and his eyes met hers. He didn't look away. He was taken in. Her eyes were very surreal and haunting (due to their beauty and not a tortured soul). They were a lively green with a deep golden ring around the pupil, and they frequently attracted attention, male and female alike.  
  
Cloud's eyes flicked around her face, then recognition stepped forward and kicked in.  
  
'No way! Saranomy!'  
  
The girl beamed back, the smile lighting up her face. 'The one and only. So how ya been, Cloud?'  
  
**++**  
  
Saranomy grinned, feeling the sun on her face. She scuffed some leaves with her boot and carried on walking.  
  
'Hey! Hey! Saranomy! That's your name, right?'  
  
Saranomy turned to see a pretty brunette with the biggest eyes she had ever seen.  
  
The brunette carried on, 'Hi, I'm Aeris. I'm in your department-I work in the office, copyrighting and stuff, and I just wanted you to know who I am. And I love your hair, it's so long and smooth and straight. Maybe you could show me how to get mine like that.'  
  
Saranomy laughed. 'It's natural. And anyway, your hair is stunning. Don't ever change it!'  
  
'Ooh, your eyes! They're so pretty! You should meet Yuna, she has nice eyes too; a blue and a green one.'  
  
'I'd love to meet her. But I've gotta go.'  
  
'You get the 621 bus into town?' Saranomy nodded and Aeris continued, 'me too! It stops here as well as further up.'  
  
Glancing at Aeris, Saranomy chanced, 'I'll wait with you.' Aeris nodded and her hair fell into her face. Glancing around, Saranomy's green-and-gold gaze came to rest on a green and blue reflection that had appeared seconds before. 'Hey, it's Yuna, right?'  
  
'Hi. I'm in your department. Nice to meet you.'  
  
All three girls lapsed into silence, which they all broke simultaneously. The impression given to any passing males was that of three flawless girls who didn't need them as they were so wrapped up in their own intriguing lives. This had the same effect as a magnet does on paperclips.  
  
'Hey newbie, who are you?'  
  
'I'm Saranomy, who the hell are you?'  
  
'Wow, Yuna, what happened to you?'  
  
'Nothing happened, I'm still me!'  
  
'Aeris! Hey, pretty girl!'  
  
'Um, hiya Zak.'  
  
By the time the bus arrived, Saranomy had met ten guys, Yuna had explained her metamorphosis to a small but admiring cluster, and Aeris was learning how to accept male compliments ('Oh, yeah, thanks! The bus is here! Gotta go!'  
  
Saranomy shook her head. 'I'd better go look after her. Don't you get this bus?'  
  
Yuna giggled. 'Yeah, but I need to wait for my cousin Rikku. She's always late 'cause she never wears a watch.'  
  
'If you're sure. See you tomorrow.' Saranomy swung her be-denimed butt onto the bus, heralding Rikku and Yuffie's arrival. Yuna hugged them both. She and Rikku were friends first and family second.  
  
Rikku rummaged in her bag and pulled out a brightly coloured card. 'Here ya go. It's an invitation to my birthday party. I've got one for Aeris, and the new girl.'  
  
'Are you giving out sunglasses too?'  
  
Yuffie laughed but Rikku's face darkened. 'You'll never guess what she did! She stole three of my spare ones and gave them to Cloud!'  
  
'Three?' Yuna was confused.  
  
'One for Cloud, Vincent, 'cause she thinks he likes Aeris, and Auron! She invited Auron! Oh, the shame! He actually gave the invitation back!'  
  
Yuffie narrowed her eyes, all outraged innocence. 'CLOUD invited Auron, not me! I had nothing to do with it.'  
  
'Yeah, right. Now, thanks to you, I have two spare cards and I invited everyone, even Lulu.'  
  
A male voice sliced through the autumn air. 'You didn't invite us. What if we wanted to come?'  
  
Rikku grimaced, crossing her eyes at Yuna before turning around. 'Tidus. Even if you wanted to come, you couldn't, because there aren't any-'  
  
'No invitations, huh?' He cut her off, fuelling Rikku's anger. 'That's a lie-Rikku, isn't it?-I just heard you say there were two left. And maybe I do want to come. Rumour has it that it's gonna be the party of the year.'  
  
Yuffie stepped forward. 'It will be. But we don't want you there. So let's play a little game. You win, you get to come. We win, we get to, um, make voodoo dolls of you guys.'  
  
Yuna gasped. 'VOODOO DOLLS?! YUFFIE!' Yuffie immediately went on the defensive, but Yuna continued, whispering in her ear 'Give them something much worse! You're in control!'  
  
'Okay,' said Yuffie, 'Scrap the voodoo dolls. We get to be your dates at the next office party!'  
  
Wakka and Tidus looked suitably horrified. Rikku took charge. 'We challenge you to a game of.'  
  
This is gonna be easy, thought Tidus, they're gonna say rock-paper- scissors.  
  
'To a game of basketball. Tomorrow, the courts, three forty-five.'  
  
The bus pulled up and all three girls piled on before Tidus could disagree. Wakka was grinning slightly at the sight of his friend uncharacteristically lost for words. Yuna, Yuffie and Rikku were laughing at the same sight from the backseat of the bus.  
  
Yuna was first to recover from the hysterics. 'You'd better win!' 


	3. Conflict

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy X, which is a very big disappointment.  
  
**++**  
  
'Lu! Where've you been, lady?' Vincent's voice turned heads, but the one he wanted to turn was deep inside Aeris's mailbox. However, Lulu did a full 180 degrees, and for that he was grateful.  
  
'Vincent. Who's this?' inquired Lulu, gesturing to Saranomy, who stepped forward, introducing herself.  
  
Vincent explained. 'She's the character designer who transferred. She's in my department and I thought that since you wear the same shoes you might get along.'  
  
Lulu cocked an eyebrow at him before inspecting Saranomy's shoes and noticing that her gothic boots, although similarly knee-high and black, were a different species altogether from Saranomy's biker-punk ones. She was aware of her counterpart performing the same actions and they shared a moment of mutual feminine understanding.  
  
They began walking, Vincent between the two of them, raising idle points. 'Have you two been invited to Rikku's party?'  
  
Lulu nodded, then asked Saranomy 'Do you know who Rikku is? If you don't-'  
  
'Cloud's ex-girlfriend,' offered Vincent helpfully. 'She works on the front desk, I'll show you. C'mon.'  
  
The character designer watched her colleague speed ahead for a moment. 'Lulu. This is gonna sound like a really stupid question. But why is Rikku "Cloud's ex", instead of Cloud being Rikku's ex?'  
  
'Women tend to be dominated by men here. Rikku broke away from all that when she ended it with Cloud. It shook everything up. The biggest case of girl power ever here.'  
  
'I like her already. Have you ever been dominated by Vincent?' Saranomy was impressed by her own brazenness.  
  
'A long time ago. You could say we were almost young. But we're just friends now.'  
  
'Yeah.'  
  
'No, seriously. He likes Aeris, and I think she likes him back. But I don't spend much time with her.'  
  
'That's not the first time I've heard that, and it's only my second day. Maybe we should set them up.'  
  
**++**  
  
'This is useless. You might as well hand these over to them now,' groaned Yuffie, holding up Rikku's invitations.  
  
'Dammit, Yuffie, I DON'T WANT THEM THERE! And you need to stop being so afraid of the ball.'  
  
'But-'  
  
'Yuffie, listen, if you get the ball one of them might tackle you.' Rikku said it innocently but her eyes were glinting.  
  
'I thought basketball was a non-contact sport!' said Yuffie, anger mingling with her anxiety.  
  
'It is!'  
  
'Oh.' Yuffie sighed with relief, but still partially disappointed. 'I need a hug.' She glanced up. 'They're here, Rik.'  
  
Rikku looked towards the gate, seeing the unmistakable figures approaching. She felt her jaw clench and realised that Yuffie had called her Rik. Turning to yell at her friend, she dismissed the idea instantly after seeing Yuffie scan the court nervously. It would do nothing to make her even more nervous.  
  
'It's alright, Yuffie. It doesn't matter. Anyway, if we lose we just won't let them in. Simple.'  
  
'I don't think it works like that.'  
  
'I'll lock the door. Sure it works.'  
  
'What works, Rikku?'  
  
'Our winning strategy, Tidus. We're gonna kick your ass!'  
  
'Just make it quick. I'm not staying on this kiddie play area a second longer than I have to.'  
  
Rikku frowned. Granted, the children's play park, with its half-size basketball court, wasn't the most ideal place to do this. But it was close to the office building, and since this could only be done during coffee breaks it was the best spot. They would have to make it quick, though. Herself and Yuffie would be in trouble already for taking the same break. Damn Tidus! He was the one who started all this.  
  
A whistle snapped Rikku back to reality. The ball was coming towards her. Damn! She caught it and started running towards the hoop. She threw the ball, it missed, and was claimed by Wakka, who promptly scored.  
  
Yuffie paled. 'Rikku! What planet were you on? That was our hoop!' She ran off to defend quickly.  
  
Rikku snatched the ball, dribbled to the other end of the court and scored, evening it out. The next fifteen minutes passed without major event, but the game was following the basic pattern of the guys pulling ahead and the girls pulling back as fast as possible. Eventually the game was 16-14 to Team Tidus and Rikku was getting desperate. Somehow she was marking Tidus, leaving Yuffie to deal with Wakka. Wakka currently has the ball and seemed reluctant to relinquish it.  
  
'Mark him, Yuffie!' screamed Rikku. Wakka was playing dangerously close to the female basket. Yuffie was been doing her best to deter him. At least, she had been until Rikku had shouted encouragement. She now walked lazily after her orange-haired opponent as he halted at the basket and shot the ball.  
  
Yuffie kicked off hard from the ground, catapulting her petite frame into space. She extended a slender arm and hooked the ball towards her. Upon landing, she sprinted almost the full court and flung the ball into the hoop, ending the game in a tie.  
  
'Woah,' said Wakka admiringly. 'Show me how to do that!'  
  
'It's easy, all you do is-'  
  
'Yuffie,' Rikku interrupted, 'We really have to get back to work.'  
  
'Wait,' Tidus called. 'There's the small matter of the tied score.'  
  
Rikku could feel Wakka's eyes on Yuffie. 'You don't come to my party and we don't get to be your dates. Simple.'  
  
'No. let's do both, ya?'  
  
'Okay.' Yuffie agreed with Wakka, leaving Rikku fuming. 'We'll flip a coin as to who dates who. Heads, you get me, tails, you get Rikku.'  
  
Wakka felt in his pocket, brought something out and tossed the small silver circle and it fell to the floor. He bent down to pick it up. Tails. He turned it in his fingers quickly before announcing 'It's heads, ya?'  
  
Tidus didn't miss the extra rose-tint in Yuffie's cheeks, or the shy, sweet smile she threw at Wakka before they both looked away awkwardly. 'Looks like you're mine, Rikku.'  
  
'Whatever.' She stalked off, Tidus following. Yuffie gazed at Wakka for a second before running off. Wakka sighed after her retreating back and began to wind his way back to work.  
  
**++**  
  
'Wear something HOT tomorrow, Lulu.'  
  
'Pourquoi?'  
  
'Don't go all French on me.'  
  
Saranomy grinned. 'The Head of Design for the French-speaking regions, I take it?' At Lulu's nod she continued, 'I didn't know you spoke French, Lulu.'  
  
'I don't, that's the problem. Vincent, don't expect anything short and tight and gold.'  
  
Vincent looked indignant. 'I'm not showing up to some party where the music is the right volume but the wrong genre with no hot chick to be with. Which is where Auron comes in.'  
  
'No.' Auron was also indignant.  
  
'You expect me to spend all night with Pretty-Boy Tidus? No way!' Vincent shook his head, then turned round to see why everyone had stopped walking. The reason was called Tidus, a royally-pissed-off-looking and not-very- pretty Tidus.  
  
'So,' said Tidus. 'You're gonna be at Rikku's party.'  
  
'Damn right I am. Rikku's my friend. But I thought she would be a little more choosy with her guests. I really did.'  
  
Tidus wasn't about to admit that he had to fight for his invite when he knew Vincent had been one of the people on the definitive list. 'So did I. You aren't exactly model material yourself.'  
  
Vincent stepped forward, bringing himself eye to eye with Tidus. He looked ready to summon a thunderbolt to blast Tidus' blonde mop into outer space. However, he didn't have that particular ability. The next best option was his fists. Vincent practically spat his words. 'Maybe you should get your roots done before Saturday.'  
  
Tidus stepped back and raised his hand but Vincent had the gift of foresight as well as being marginally quicker. Lulu cast a warning glance in his direction but he continued anyway. Tidus was closer than he realised to a broken nose when Cloud stepped between the two, pushing them apart.  
  
This provoked Tidus further. 'Goddammit, Cloud, get out the way! If I have to hit you as well I will, just let me get to him!'  
  
'Wakka, get this idiot off me.' Cloud rolled his eyes as Wakka obliged, almost dragging Tidus away. After a few seconds the blonde began to walk nonchalantly away, shrugging Wakka off, giving Vincent the finger.  
  
Vincent made a dive after him, slammed straight into Aeris and was momentarily stunned.  
  
'What was all that about?' asked Saranomy.  
  
'They don't exactly get on. I guess it's just basic differences. If they looked at what's the same instead they might get on,' Lulu mused, voicing her thoughts for the first time. 'Quick thinking, getting Cloud,' she added, snapping out of it.  
  
'You think I was gonna do the damsel-in-distress thing to Auron? Cloud's cool though. He can handle stuff like that in the right way.'  
  
'I'd better calm Vincent down, see if Cloud's gonna be there tomorrow.' Lulu hurried after the two men, leaving Saranomy with Auron.  
  
'I guess we need you to come now,' she said uneasily. The look he shot her said she was wasting his time, he wasn't going to listen. Saranomy almost spat fire. 'Don't you think of anyone but you? Why are you always like this? You're gonna let Rikku's birthday get ruined because you don't want to spend a couple hours at her party? She invited me so I'd fit in. Would you do that? I don't think so! You'd be too friggin' wrapped up in yourself! LISTEN TO ME!'  
  
Auron looked mildly surprised at this display of fiery confidence. He was more than a match for her, and she probably knew it.  
  
She tried again. Less anger this time. More negotiation. 'Look, Rikku's really sweet and I don't want anyone getting their asses kicked and her feeling responsible. That's all.' She looked at him with her green-and-gold eyes, a solid look, but underneath she was silently praying, beseeching. Please, throw me a line here.  
  
He gave a barely perceptible nod. 'Okay.'  
  
She could have hugged him.  
  
**++**  
  
Okay, I've got exams tomorrow (Thursday) so I'm posting this now, and on Friday I will put the fourth chapter up as a celebration of the end of exams! Also, anybody think this should be a Tidus/Yuna thing? I need help here! ( 


	4. Happy Birthday Rikku!

Hehehe.. okay here it is.. Rikku's party! *yay*  
  
**++**  
  
'Pink or white?'  
  
'Pink.'  
  
'You don't think it makes me look pale?'  
  
'No, Aeris, the white dress will make you look pale in the dark,' said Yuna, exasperated. 'Go with the hot pink dress. And the white silk flower in your hair. And hot pink lips. No other makeup.'  
  
'Okayyyy.' Aeris turned around. 'Wow, Yuna!' she exclaimed. Yuna was wearing pale green jeans that Aeris had never seen before and an emerald- green satin to. The top had slashed sleeves, tight cuffs, and a V-neck hinting at cleavage. Yuna was wearing her hair down; it framed her face, as did her silver hoop earrings. Aeris felt about six inches tall. Yuna looked amazing. But she couldn't feel bad about that. Aeris hoped that maybe this could be Yuna's night, for a few hours at least. She shook her hair back and snagged a couple of strands, pinning them behind her head. She fastened the clasps on her white shoes with the heels and stood up, smoothing her dress.  
  
Yuffie stuck her head through the door. 'We ready?'  
  
'Yeah, just about. C'mon, Aeris.'  
  
'I'll just be a minute. Lipstick and all.'  
  
The moment the door shut Aeris wriggled out of the dress, kicked off the shoes, pulled on a hot pink t-shirt and faded flared jeans. Shoving her feet into black trainers she remembered the lipstick and put it on to keep Yuna happy. Then, glancing at her watch, she raced out the door double- quick.  
  
**++**  
  
'Rikku! Happy birthday!' Vincent had to shout above the music.  
  
He hugged her, and so did Lulu. Cloud walked in, trailing Auron. His eyes met Rikku's. She smiled, a genuine smile, and he returned it. Rikku felt her body relax. 'Yuffie, Aeris, and Yuna are here somewhere,' she said in Lulu's ear. 'Think this might be Vincent's lucky night.'  
  
Lulu looked at her. 'Yeah. Saranomy is here too.'  
  
'I know, I've seen here.'  
  
'Oh. Uh, Rikku, you have some more guests arriving.' Lulu looked disdainfully at the door, where Tidus and Wakka were framed.  
  
Rikku groaned. 'Great. I'd better go kick them out.' She stormed over to the door, ready to maybe let them in grudgingly, but came to an abrupt halt at the sight of them both. She wasn't the only woman to do a mild double- take, but this was for a different reason than most. Tidus was wearing faded jeans and a shirt the same colour as his dazzling blue eyes. Wakka was wearing a white shirt and very dark blue jeans. Rikku's insides squirmed. Where was her resolve? She didn't have the guts to make them leave anymore. 'Hi.' Oh Lord, they even had a box, wrapped in green paper. Tidus was holding it out. She took it.  
  
'Can I open it?'  
  
'Sure,' he said, scratching the back of his head.  
  
Rikku unwrapped it. Inside the mini velvet box was a small silver disc. It took a second before Rikku realised what it was. 'A gil?'  
  
'But not just any gil, ya? Made on the day you were born,' Wakka explained. Rikku checked. He was right. Wow.  
  
'Thanks,' she said. 'Come in.'  
  
'We are in,' Tidus pointed out, slightly mockingly. 'It's great music, Rikku, but it needs to be LOUDER!' He twisted the volume control right up. There wasn't much call for conversation after that.  
  
**++**  
  
Three hours later, the music had been reduced to half its original volume, most people were gone or leaving, headed out to bars and clubs or other parties. The only people left were Tidus, Wakka, Vincent, Cloud, Aeris, Yuna, Yuffie, Auron, Rikku (obviously) and Saranomy, who was hot. Too hot.  
  
Snatching a cold glass of water, she slipped out the back door, into the garden. One of the benefits of living on the ground floor. She kicked off her boots and walked in her bare feet over the dewy grass, making her way to a little swing as it entered her field of vision. She nearly had a heart attack when she saw a figure already there. Soon her brain joined the dots between 'mysterious person' and 'Auron', but she didn't relax entirely.  
  
She sat down on the swing, next to his standing form. 'What are you doing out here?'  
  
'I don't like the music.'  
  
'Me neither, not really, but I still manage to live with it.'  
  
'You're you. Besides, I prefer it out here.'  
  
'Me too.' Saranomy threw her head back and looked at the stars, scattered like raindrops over a backlit sky. She looked sideways at Auron. He, too, was watching what was above them. Or so she thought. It was hard to tell in the dark.  
  
Something flared above them both. A pinprick of light exploded, then painted a pure white streak across the inky darkness of the background. The black took over again almost straightaway. It was a long time since Saranomy had seen a shooting star, and it always amazed her how something that looked so small had such untapped energy. She made a quick wish before asking 'Did you see the shooting star, Auron?'  
  
'How could I miss it?' He was looking at her properly now, half smiling in the moonlight. She couldn't resist smiling back. He spoke again. 'Aren't you meant to wish on them?'  
  
'Yeah. I did. You?'  
  
'Maybe. I wouldn't know what to wish for.' It seemed unusual for him to speak in more than short phrases.  
  
'You shouldn't say what you wish for. If you do, it doesn't come true. It has to be a secret.'  
  
'I see.' Suddenly, abruptly, Auron turned to face his acquaintance of only a few days. The smile faded from her lips and with it disappeared the chilled-out atmosphere. The air seemed to grow hot and heavy, tension almost audibly crackling like electricity. Their eyes meet, golden green fusing with russet, black in the night air. Saranomy's stomach constricted, whether through nerves, cold, or something else, she didn't know. One half of her wanted to stare at the floor. The other didn't seem to be able to wrench itself away. Auron was looking her up and down, quietly assessing, without breaking eye contact. It was very unsettling.  
  
'You two!' Yuffie's voice rang out across the garden. 'Come in, we need to lock this door!' She ran over to them. 'Jeez, it's cold! Well, it is compared to in there! Uh, Saranomy? Why are you cross-eyed?'  
  
Auron smirked, but said nothing. Saranomy shook her head, applied logic and put feet into boots, and stood up to go inside. Just for a second, she hesitated, then followed Yuffie indoors.  
  
**++**  
  
Yuna laughed, pulling Aeris to her feet. 'Dance with me! Come on, Aeris, there's hardly anyone here. No-one cares if you can't dance.'  
  
'Does the lady need persuading?' Vincent swept in, taking hold of Aeris' hands and spinning her round to dance with him. Yuna waved and walked away to let Aeris plot her revenge, although she somehow doubted that she would be in trouble for this one.  
  
Lulu was sat alone with her legs crossed, re-plaiting one of her braids. Yuna sat down next to her. She could feel the presence of something and it would have made her nervous unless she'd been sure that it was much nearer Lulu. Glancing round the room, Yuna attempted to see what it was, but in vain. All she could see was Aeris and Vincent, who were still dancing, Wakka, who was looking slightly bored, Cloud, his back against the speaker of the music system, Rikku clearing away empty glasses and bottles, Yuffie locking the back door, Auron, looking like Auron, Saranomy, also looking like usual, herself (Yuna), Lulu, who was now reattaching the bead to her braid, eyes flicking upwards occasionally, and Tidus, fingers pressed together at the tips, cerulean orbs watchful.  
  
Tidus.  
  
'Lulu!' Yuna hissed. 'I don't believe this! You like Tidus! You're watching him and he's watching you back!'  
  
Lulu didn't move at all. 'No, I'm not. He just out of it.'  
  
'Look at me and say that.'  
  
Lulu turned to Yuna, fully aware that she hardly knew her, and repeated it, but before she could turn away a rose-coloured tinge crept into her cheeks.  
  
Yuna smiled gleefully. 'I KNEW IT!'  
  
'No. Can you really see that happening? In all honesty? Me and him? I don't think so. We're like oil and water. We just don't mix.'  
  
'Yeah. Go and dance with him!'  
  
'No.'  
  
'Do you really want to miss out on this, Lulu?'  
  
'There's nothing to miss.  
  
'Sure there isn't. Just like Yuffie and Wakka. Or,' Yuna grinned wickedly, 'Rikku and Cloud.'  
  
'Cloud? Rikku?'  
  
'You just watch them.'  
  
At the other side of the room Cloud was still against the speaker. Rikku was attempting to remove the glass from his hand. 'Please, Cloud, you'll drop it! You're too mixed up in the music. Just let me fill it up for you.'  
  
'I haven't finished my drink.' There were maybe a few drops left in the glass.  
  
'Whatever. Besides,' Rikku flashed a teasing smile,' I thought you hated this kind of music.'  
  
'I do. But it's got a great bass line.'  
  
Yuna turned to Lulu. 'See?' she whispered.  
  
'No.'  
  
'Damn this!' said Yuna and stood up. 'Okay, I propose that we go out, but before we do we have a slow dance. Just for fun.' There was a general murmur of assent and she continued 'Okay, we'll all sit in a circle and-,'  
  
'No!' said Tidus. 'All you chicks write your names on bits of paper and we all get one.'  
  
'Okay,' agreed Yuna, slightly put out. Rikku ran to fetch paper and pen and in a few minutes every male had his fate sealed.  
  
Tidus opened his first. It said 'Yuffie' in cute little girl-writing. He flashed it at Wakka and said 'Lulu,' hoping that either Wakka would have Lulu or else whoever did have her would take the initiative.  
  
'I choose..oh, it's Aeris,' said Vincent. Aeris smiled and immediately tried to squash it.  
  
Wakka was next, and luckily for Tidus the paper bore Lulu's name. 'Yuffie,' he said, unable to hide the way his grin widened, nor the way he cast his eyes downwards.  
  
Auron's slipped from his fingers as he unfolded it. Rikku made an impulsive snatch for it, missed, and opened it from her position on the floor, giggling madly. She flushed slightly. 'Me.'  
  
Cloud was last. 'Yuna. Just as friends, right? Or else.'  
  
Saranomy laughed. 'I'll just dance on my own then, seeing as there's a shortage of male bodies.' She walked over to the stereo and began flipping through the CDs, looking for something slow. After an extensive search she found a suitable artist and slid it into the player and switched it on, adjusting the volume. After a second she stepped back and looked around.  
  
Aeris and Vincent were dancing again, closer than before. Aeris was resting her head on his shoulder. She looked totally and utterly at ease stood there in his arms. Vincent looked chilled, but slightly disbelieving. It was weird seeing him like that; he was usually so laid back he was practically horizontal.  
  
Saranomy's gaze shifted to Yuffie and Wakka. Yuffie was almost on tiptoe, her slender arms delicately encircling his neck. Wakka had one arm on her waist and one on her back, holding her securely but carefully, as if he was scared to tighten his grip and shatter her.  
  
Lulu, in spite of all her protests to Yuna, was letting Tidus guide her, holding her fairly close. Every so often their eyes would drift and meet, but one or other would look away.  
  
Cloud and Yuna, were not so much dancing, but staggering about laughing to a rhythm.  
  
Not everybody was having fun, or so it seemed. Auron and Rikku were stood, hardly moving, both glaring death, his hands on her waist and hers on his shoulders. Auron was staring moodily into space over Rikku's head; Rikku was lazily watching Yuna and Cloud's progress.  
  
The track ended. Nobody else even seemed to notice, but Auron let go of Rikku as if she was red-hot metal and stalked off in Saranomy's direction. Rikku also made her way over. Yuna and Cloud finally gave up and followed suit.  
  
'What's going on?' asked Yuna. 'You can't not dance at your own party.'  
  
Rikku mumbled something violently unintelligible along the lines of 'not dancing with HIM ever again.'  
  
'I'll dance with you Rikku. No hard feelings..I'm the only non-Auron man anyway. What d'you say?' Cloud offered.  
  
Rikku swallowed. She knew deep down that even if she refused, she would be somehow persuaded. She couldn't say no, not with all her friends around her. If he'd got her on her own.. She was feeling uncomfortable now, praying for the moment to end. Running down blind alleys of panic, trying to weigh up the pros and cons, she somehow lost control of her heart, and it forced her to bite her lip and nod once.  
  
Cloud pulled her over amongst the other dancers and hesitated. His ex- girlfriend was stood here. What he really wanted to do was to wrap his arms around her waist and feel her heart beating against him. But he couldn't and he was painfully aware of it. He had suggested this as friends, and besides, she had broken it off. She wasn't showing any signs of wanting him back. He moved uncertainly a little closer. Rikku shifted abruptly, putting her hands on his shoulders, stepping back slightly, the way she had danced earlier with Auron.  
  
**++**  
  
Saranomy was very alone with said person. There were eight people dancing and Yuna clearing up and it still felt like they were the only people in the room. Saranomy rolled her eyes; this was getting to be a habit. A bad habit. She felt so stupid to be sitting here while everyone else was dancing. She slid a glance at Auron. He was staring at his hands. He wouldn't dance with her. Saranomy blinked. That had to be the stupidest idea she'd had all week. She shivered slightly, hoping that the song would finish quickly so she could get out of this awkward situation.  
  
**++**  
  
Yuffie ran to turn the CD player off as soon as the song ended. 'Okay, people, it's midnight, past! We're going out!' she announced. 'Freya's okay, Rikku?' she said, naming their favourite place to party.  
  
Rikku's eyes sort of slid into focus. 'Why don't we try that new place, the Blue Moon Bar?'  
  
'Sure, whatever. Everyone fine with that?'  
  
Everyone nodded or said 'yes'.  
  
'Right then, let's move!' said Yuffie enthusiastically. 'Hey Tidus, is this a great party, or what?'  
  
**++**  
  
Tip: Reviews make authors happy. (hint hint) 


	5. One on One

Just to clarify, this is NOT evilness against Saranomy, 'cause I know that she is really a fantastically fantabulous artist!  
  
And also.. thankya to everyone who reviewed (I got like 3 reviews *shrugs* I'm easily pleased! And they're all pretty good, for a first fic).  
  
**++**  
  
Lips are turning blue A kiss that can't renew I only dream of you My beautiful Tiptoe to your room A starlight in the gloom I only dream of you And you never knew Sing for absolution I will be singing And falling from your grace.  
  
Muse-Sing for Absolution  
  
**++**  
  
There seemed to be an unnatural presence in the area designated to Team Moonstrike that Tidus noticed almost immediately. Maybe it was just because he was actually early for work. Usually he just managed to slip behind his desk a few minutes before nine o'clock. Checking his watch, he noticed that it was twenty to nine, but the place was practically deserted.  
  
It was just too damn quiet, like the silence that seems to pour in like lava when you switch off very loud music.  
  
He couldn't wait to see the look on Wakka's face when he walked in to see Tidus had arrived first. Retrieving his swipe card from his pocket, some loose change clinked gently; the noise that pierced the blanket of quiet seemed like a violation of something pure.  
  
Passing what he to be Lulu's door, Tidus ground to a halt. He was fairly sure she'd be in there, but he shook his head as if answering himself and carried on.  
  
The office he shared with Wakka was a large open-plan space right at the end of the corridor. He swiped his card but the door was already open. Surely he had locked it? He pushed the wood gently and froze instantly when it moved out of his way, both surprised and enthralled by what he saw.  
  
Wakka and Yuffie were stood looking out over the city skyline, his arms around her waist from behind, both of their backs to him. Wakka bent his head and said something, although Tidus couldn't hear it, in the little pink shell that was Yuffie's ear. After that there were no more words, but more a sense of heightened perception between the two. It was as if communication had suddenly evolved in the same way email overtook the postal service.  
  
Tidus' usual attitude to seeing Wakka with a girl was to breeze in, saying 'Don't mind me!'. But this time something held him back, and instead he turned and headed off to get a drink.  
  
**++**  
  
Auron put down his pencil and looked back at the picture of the cat he was drawing. He stretched, flexing his fingers and wrist. Looking at his surroundings, he saw that Cloud and Vincent were away somewhere and that Saranomy was completely absorbed in her work. Her hair was falling forward, hitting the desk with a touch as light as a feather, the hand holding the coloured pencil making small, precise, rapid movements. She looked so different from normal and suddenly Auron realised what he was seeing. She was taking something seriously. Intensely so. It was the seriousness that was reflected in her eyes. She wouldn't notice if he left. Hell, she wouldn't notice if the building burned down. She shifted slightly and it occurred to Auron that he had been watching her for over five minutes, his cat long forgotten. He had to say something, break the moment, get out of it.  
  
'Would you like a coffee?'  
  
Saranomy's head snapped up, trance broken, her hands moving to put the pencil away, close her sketchpad. She watched him quietly for a few beats, then said, equally quietly, 'No thanks. I don't want to spill anything on this. I've spent so long on it-it's nearly done though.' She brushed something off the desk. 'I'm going to have to stay late tonight to get it finished.'  
  
Why doesn't she just take it home? Auron wondered. He glanced at her and thought offhandedly, She's serious about this. It's her imagination talking to me right now, this is the part of her that creates people, places, things. She's.. deeper than I expected.  
  
Both Auron and Saranomy were working on less important main characters for this particular game, members of the group with their own sub-plots but no major impact on the outcome of events. Cloud and Vincent had been assigned to the four main characters, two each. All the characters had to contrast and bounce off each other and so the designers had to constantly check that no two were alike. The two characters Auron was working on, Scratch and Sniff, were a pair of cats and so it wasn't as important to check his. Saranomy was designing a witch and a close-combat fighter.  
  
'Can I see your cats?' Saranomy asked, standing up, not waiting for an answer. She walked round to his desk, giving him time to stop her if he wanted, and looked at the nearly completed cat. 'Is this Scratch or Sniff?'  
  
'Sniff.'  
  
It was a stunning drawing, mostly in pencil, but with colour for the eyes, pads of the paws and other small details. Sniff was a grey tabby with a silver disc around his neck. The disc had a sliver of black down one side. Auron was obviously a very talented artist. Somehow it didn't quite fit in with the rest of him.  
  
Saranomy opened the folder, sliding the drawings out, scattering the papers slightly as she put them on the desk. She leafed through the pile slowly. Sniff sitting up, licking a paw, lying down, crouched, stretching. Then a white cat with a black disc and brilliant violet eyes. Scratch. In the same positions as Sniff. Saranomy was once again amazed. She almost felt she could scoop the cat off the page.  
  
'These are really good, Auron. I mean, I wish I could draw like that.'  
  
'Let me see yours, if you're so bad.' He flicked through the pictures silently, assessing. Finally he passed judgement. 'These are-well, I'm not sure how to say it. They're terrible. You are definitely the worst artist in the whole of SquareSoft. If you show these at the meeting tomorrow you might get fired.'  
  
He said it with the utmost seriousness. Saranomy narrowed her eyes. Was he teasing her? She wasn't sure. She'd never seen him do the comedy thing before. Did he even have a sense of humour? She looked at him. 'Weren't you going to get a cup of coffee?'  
  
**++**  
  
'Uh, Lulu? Can I come in?'  
  
'You ARE in, Tidus. Don't you know the meaning of the word knock? Why are you even here?'  
  
'Lockheart sent me up here. I have to collect the possible ideas for the game cover.'  
  
'Okay, it's all in the black folder. Black folder, Tidus. Not the green one! Have you gone colourblind?'  
  
'Maybe I'm just blinded by your radiant beauty.' Tidus picked up the correct folder and narrowing it down to what were evidently his personal favourites. He looked at both for several minutes in silence. 'I can't decide.'  
  
Lulu crossed the room and stood beside him. She hated trying to assess her own work. She wasn't proud of the first one he had selected. A silver background with a black skyline fading from city to country overlaid, and a highly detailed full moon in the top right corner. MOONSTRIKE had been slashed over the bottom of the page in red. However, Lulu liked her second page. It was a full moon reflected in what appeared to be a lake. The lake was covered with ripples, a deep dark blue colour. Lulu had etched Moonstrike in small, pale-blue lettering in the bottom left-hand corner. Tidus found the text strangely familiar.  
  
'Wow,' he said. 'If I could draw like that I wouldn't be stuck in an office with Wakka.'  
  
'Do you always talk about your friends like that?'  
  
'He's not as pretty as you.' Tidus gave Lulu puppy-dog eyes. 'Can I come live in your office instead?'  
  
Lulu tried to look severe, but a reluctant grin flickered across her face. Tidus broke the please-pretty-please look and smiled too. He opened his mouth to say something, then, shaking his head, closed it. Lulu gave him a questioning look.  
  
He tried again. 'Would you be able to draw me?'  
  
'Yes.' Lulu was puzzled. 'Why?'  
  
'Just, y'know, to test your skills. Do I have to pose?'  
  
'No Just wander around, doing your thing.'  
  
'You're the boss.'  
  
**++**  
  
Within a remarkably short time, Lulu was done. She threw down her pencil. 'Okay.'  
  
Tidus looked over at her, reaching out and picking the sketch from the table. He held it at arm's length. 'I like it. Very angular. You got a pen?'  
  
Lulu passed him one.  
  
Tidus scribbled something and tossed the picture to Lulu. 'There you go.'  
  
'You don't want it?'  
  
'Why do I need a portrait when I've got a mirror? Besides, when I'm famous that will be worth a lot.' He gave her another megawatt smile before exiting the room.  
  
Lulu, frowning slightly, slid the picture across to her. Made out across the top in scruffy, loopy writing was:  
  
You know where to come for a good time! Lots of love, your biggest fan, Tidus xxx  
  
**++**  
  
Was that any good? I'm such a non-romantic person, so for me that was sorta fluffy. And hard to write.  
  
Yay! So happy! Anyhoos, if you liked it, you know what to do. And if you didn't like it, review anyway. 


	6. DecisionMaking

Disclaimer: I don't own FFX. Don't sue me, unless you want to put a lot of time, effort and money into getting nothing.  
  
**++**  
  
Another long and sleepless night  
  
You need someone to hold you tight  
  
Sometimes love don't know wrong from right  
  
Another long and senseless  
  
Fight was all you knew, they're all the same  
  
There's no-one left to take the blame  
  
What's behind this masquerade?  
  
How do we win these losin'  
  
Games we play, words we say  
  
Cutting wounds that run so deep  
  
Leave it all behind you  
  
Or someday love will find you..  
  
Bon Jovi-Only Lonely  
  
**++**  
  
'Okay. Mm-hm. Yes, I can organise that. I'll just need to take your name. Mr.. how do you spell that? D-E-S-C-I-E-U-X.. Oh! Are you..? The French- speaking regions.. I thought so. Okay, is that everything? Good. Nothing else I can help you with? Alright then. I'll get her to ring you back as soon as possible. At the earliest it'll be this afternoon. No problem, it's my job! Okay. Thankyou. Goodbye!'  
  
Rikku replaced the receiver of the phone and looked at the clock. Dammit! She was already twenty minutes late. Scooping up all the necessary papers into her arms and picking up a pen with her teeth, she took off up the stairs, her heels clicking impatiently.  
  
She arrived at the meeting room around five minutes later and backed into the door, pushing it open with her butt. Everybody looked up. 'Rikku. Nice of you to join us.' Miss Lockheart glared at her.  
  
'I'm sorry, I had a phone call, it was to organise--,'  
  
She was cut off by her Head of Department. 'Whatever the reason, you are here now, so we can begin properly. Take a seat.'  
  
Rikku's eyes fell on an empty seat. The only empty seat. She made her way to the place at the circular table as fast as she could, not wanting to be embarrassed any further. Dumping everything on the table, she pulled the chair out and sat down, relieved to be out of the spotlight. She slid her hastily scribbled memo across to Lulu, raising her eyebrows. She stretched slightly, trying to get comfortable, and all the hairs on the back of her neck stood up because looking to her left she could see Cloud.  
  
Just what she needed.  
  
Rikku took stock quickly. Not only was she late, disorganised, and very obviously annoyed, she had to sit next to Cloud. She would have been okay with it, except the experience that she'd had at her party had shown her exactly how little Cloud cared. It had also brought home to her what rocking the boat had done: pitched any hopes of friendship overboard and onto the rocks before being swept away by an undercurrent.  
  
And to cap it all, it was still Monday.  
  
Thankfully, Yuffie was on her right, proffering a biscuit and a cup of coffee. Rikku ate the whole biscuit in two bites and felt better; she waved the coffee away and scrabbled in her pile for a notebook and pen.  
  
Miss Thornton, the Graphics department manager, was droning on already. 'We have the basic plot outlined, and our four main characters, a group of people who were childhood friends, plus our other four characters, who will have subplots and useful abilities. Any questions on the main characters to Cloud or Vincent, sub-characters to Auron or Saranomy. Could we see the characters, please? And know a little about them as people. Or creatures,' she added, looking at Auron.  
  
Vincent pulled out his folder and took two pictures out. 'This is Alysh, the person you play through the eyes of. He's 22, and uses hand gestures to summon elemental powers. He's a pretty good close-combat fighter, and is okay at long range, but will obviously become more skilled at one as the game progresses. During a Random Power Surge, or RPS, he can combine elementals and sword attacks. He isn't much use at very long range, or against any sort of mostly magical opponents.  
  
'My second character is called Verity. She's 20, an ex-vampire-hunter, and fights at both short and long range using silver bullets and stakes. She can also inflict Undead, and she then she attacks usually. During an RPS she can remove 75% of an opponent's total Hit Points.' Vincent slid the drawings to Auron, who passed them on.  
  
Cloud picked up his two pictures. 'This is Natt, he's 21, uses curses to damage all kinds of enemies except the most magically resistant. Basically a curse will inflict any negative status effect and do a small to medium amount of damage. He also has a very basic healing spell. He attacks most effectively at long range and this makes him ideal against flying opponents. His RPS kills whoever it hits instantly but it can hit allies as well as enemies.  
  
Kina is 20 years old. She has great ability with mechanics and so attacks best against machines. However, she can also combine weapons to make new ones or 'power up' a weapon for one attack with an item. Her RPS heals all party members fully using any item. Alysh and Natt can 'power up' her weapons with their curses and elementals.'  
  
Auron passed on Cloud's drawings. 'These two cats are called Scratch and Sniff. Neither can achieve RPS. Sniff has the Steal ability, and another called Find. Scratch is very clever and strategic and can heal using magic. Both are excellent close-combat fighters except against heavily armoured and flying opponents.'  
  
Saranomy threw Auron a look that could fell a lion and said 'This is Courtney, she's a 30-year-old witch. She can curse, heal and use elemental magic, but she has no physical strength. She's a secret character who can be unlocked through various different processes early on. Once unlocked she enters the plot a little after halfway through. Semne is someone who appears as a playable character for short periods of time, although you can have him in your final team. He's an excellent close-combat fighter with armour-piercing abilities.' She slid her drawings to Cloud rather than Auron.  
  
**++**  
  
Yuna took over. 'We've got all the possible game logos and all the character drawings and information copyrighted. Any new landscapes, people, places, that are developed are being sent off right away. As soon as any of you get anything done label it with the date, title, et cetera-you know the procedure-and get it to me and Aeris.'  
  
Aeris took up the baton. 'We're well below budget at the minute. We should have to start spending a little more when we begin to finalise graphics, get outside testers in, print manuals, covers, strategy guides, posters, promotions, sort out merchandise and so on. All expenses to me and Yuna. That's the really important one, 'cause if we lose track none of us get paid.'  
  
**++**  
  
Lulu looked up from her papers, sketches and folders. 'I'll need to see the character designs and personalities before I can do anything absolutely definite for the strategy guide. I've done a few basic ideas. As for the cover..' She shook out the drawings that Tidus had chosen. 'These are the final two designs. I'm working on the final copy of each now, but we don't really need those until the game is completed.'  
  
She gave the pages to Tidus; he cast an appraising eye over them and passed them on to Wakka.  
  
Lulu carried on. 'I need everybody in graphics to check that what I do corresponds with what you do. I've had one meeting with the Head of Design for the French-speaking regions and I'm ringing him ASAP to organise another. I have also at some point gotta speak to someone from the Eastern offices. Okay, that's all from me.'  
  
**++**  
  
Tidus sat up and shuffled his one page of notes theatrically, but Wakka cut in. 'Everything we've seen so far, it's been really great, ya? You people in Graphics are doing an amazing job. But personally, I think that the meeting place at the start should be more crowded. And Verity should wear a crucifix.'  
  
He glanced at Tidus, who nodded. 'The other thing is, some of the time it's hard to see when a character is approaching RPS. I think there should be a separate gauge or some other form of warning.'  
  
Vincent looked at Tidus like he was a very dim bulb. 'RPS stands for Random Power Surge.'  
  
**++**  
  
'Any meetings you need organising, come straight to us.' Yuffie was now controlling the meeting. 'Also, if you need to book any rooms, venues, get phone numbers, names, addresses, and so on, that's what earns mine and Rikku's wages. Correct, Rikku?'  
  
'Yeah. Lulu, you need to ring the French guy. No-one else has any other meetings planned, but we do have some visitors in on the 15th January. GamesMaster competition winners. We'll have further details with you all as soon as possible, but I think they'll be visiting all of us except Yuna and Aeris.'  
  
**++**  
  
Miss Lockheart stood up. 'Right, that's everything for today. Due to our late start,' --she looked pointedly at Rikku-- 'we're all due a break, so take a half hour from now. Next meeting date will be emailed to you. Rikku, stay behind and clear up, please.' She swept out, followed by Miss Thornton.  
  
A trainee stuck her head in. 'Phone call for Yuffie Kisarach.' She turned away and Yuffie followed, looking back at Rikku.  
  
Everybody was leaving, collecting pens, papers, folders, notepads, walking out in twos or threes. All except Rikku, who was stacking coffee cups, gathering plates and spoons and water jugs. She piled all the cups and on top of each other but her arms were full and the stack quivered dangerously.  
  
'Let me help you with that.'  
  
That was far from help. Rikku nearly dropped everything. Cloud was leaning against the door, watching her. She could hear the laughter in his voice; this embarrassed her initially, followed by a rush of white-hot anger for letting herself be humiliated so easily. Rikku was usually good at holding anger in but everything seemed to be going wrong today, and this was no exception.  
  
'No! I don't need your help. It's not like you've ever given it to me before!'  
  
Cloud shrugged and was halfway out the door when he heard the unmistakable sound of glass breaking. He wheeled around to see Rikku crouched down, picking up the remains of a tumbler.  
  
'Rikku! You're gonna cut yourself! Don't be stupid!' He bent down next to her and began to help.  
  
'Cloud. You'll cut yourself.'  
  
'Open your eyes.' He waved his gloved hands in front of her face.  
  
'I don't know why you wear those things. They must make it hard to move your hands. I bet it makes all your work mangled. They'd get in my way.'  
  
'Well, you're you and I'm me and we are actually different people,' Cloud countered. He'd meant it to be said in a friendly, state-the-obvious way, but somehow the words came out sounding cold and impatient.  
  
Rikku's anger flared again. 'Well, maybe if I'd got out of our dead-end relationship sooner I could have been a different person more quickly.'  
  
Cloud felt like he'd been punched in the stomach. He stood up and made an abrupt exit, leaving Rikku to regret her words. Almost as soon as the door snapped shut behind him he heard her swear, but this time he didn't turn back.  
  
**++**  
  
Make me happy this Christmas and review.. Hope you all have a good one! 


	7. Retail Therapy

My reviewers are all beautiful.  
  
**++**  
  
All six of us?'  
  
'Yes, Yuffie, all six of us,' said Aeris patiently. 'It's our lunch hour, we're allowed to do what we want in that time. Besides,' she grinned devilishly, 'Don't you wanna look HOT for Wakka?'  
  
Yuffie wriggled uncomfortably. 'Saranomy! Tell her! ..Where is everyone?'  
  
'Aeris, Vincent is rubbing off on you. You need to spend more time with us. That said, Yuffie, I think you and Wakka complement each other perfectly.' Yuffie rolled her eyes but Saranomy carried on, ever the voice of reason. 'No. I mean, you're so.. um.. I think you need a big strong guy to sweep you off your feet.' She slid her eyes up over Aeris' shoulder. 'Hey, Lulu!'  
  
'Hi.' Lulu slotted herself into the little group. 'Where's Yuna and Rikku?'  
  
Yuffie looked thoughtful. 'I don't know where either of them are, but I bet they're together.' She smiled. 'Speak of the devil.'  
  
Rikku positively bounced over. 'Come on! I can't wait to get out of this place.'  
  
'Okay,' said Yuna, reverting to office-manager mode. 'Let's go!'  
  
**++**  
  
A short while later the group of what was getting to be fairly good friends were in TJ's Department Store, focusing on Operation Perfect Outfit. Yuffie and Rikku were thoroughly overexcited about the whole idea of buying clothes and had run off, been warned to slow down by some salesgirl, and walked off at a moderate pace. Yuna and Aeris were discussing the merits of about ten different dresses quite seriously. Saranomy was glancing, and then looking, horror-struck, at a gold silk creation and Lulu was looking bored, comparing what she was wearing to what was on the shelves.  
  
She walked over to Aeris. 'Can we go now?'  
  
'NO!'  
  
Yuna smiled. 'Look, we're gonna be a while. I've been shopping with Rikku before, and she goes from shop to shop, trying on everything, goes back to the first shop and buys the thing she saw, but didn't try on first time around. I'm guessing Yuffie'll be the same. Aeris can pick out two or three and then narrows it down. I'm not too bothered if I can't find anything, there's things I can wear. It's not as if I'm dressing up for anyone.'  
  
Saranomy had wandered over, touching dresses lightly as she passed them. 'Yuffie's over there. She says Rikku's trying something on.' She led the way to the fitting rooms and stalked inside, throwing looks of contempt at a prissy assistant. 'Rikku! Come out!'  
  
Rikku's voice was muffled. 'Just a minute! ..Okay, I'm ready.' She drew back the curtain and stepped out.  
  
She didn't look like Rikku. Her hair had slipped out of its clip, pouring across her shoulders, obscuring her face. She smiled coyly, looking slightly nervous and kittenish. The dress was short, not enough to be indecent, but enough to display her slender legs to her advantage. It was lavender blue, fitted but not tight, with cap sleeves. It was very un-Rikku- ish.  
  
'Wow,' breathed Aeris.  
  
Rikku looked up. 'Ya think? Maybe I'll buy it.' She held out her arms and did a little twirl.  
  
Lulu stepped forward. 'Listen. If you like this dress, if it fits, if it looks good, which it does, for God's sake buy it, because you can do other things instead of dragging everyone everywhere; we all have stuff to buy too. And if you see something better all you have to do is return this.'  
  
'Yeah,' Yuna agreed. 'You don't have anything that matches this-you're gonna need some other stuff.'  
  
Ten minutes later, the dress was wrapped in tissue paper and had been placed in a TJ's box, which Rikku was now swinging in a TJ's bag.  
  
The group now progressed to Lee's, another large store with an entire floor dedicated to evening wear. This was good for everyone except Aeris, who was completely overwhelmed by about twenty different outfits. She shook her head. 'I can't decide.'  
  
Saranomy looked up from her inspection of a khaki green skirt. 'Why stick to one dress? I mean, there are loads of singers and rock stars and people who use costume changes. You could have a really stunning one to walk in-- ,'  
  
'-Then a really sophisticated one to walk around on Vincent's arm in--,' Lulu had joined the conversation.  
  
'-And a really cute, funky one to dance in-,' put in Yuna.  
  
'Yeah! And a really pretty, elegant dress for the slow dance and the bit where he kisses you goodbye--,' said Rikku, wondering how she had managed to miss this fantastic possibility.  
  
Yuffie grinned wickedly, her eyes gleaming, eager to join in. 'And a really sexy one--,'  
  
Aeris jumped in, like a penguin realising that it has been left alone on an iceberg. 'No! ..Y'know, you lot managed to sum it up fairly well. I just need to decide what I'm looking for. But at least I've narrowed it down to stunning, sophisticated, cute, funky, pretty, elegant, and a little sexy,' she mused, ticking the point off on her fingers. She frowned. 'Now I'm really confused.'  
  
'Well,' Yuna suggested, 'Why don't we go get something to eat. It's our lunch hour and we haven't eaten yet.'  
  
'Yeah! Yeah! Let's! I'm so hungry!' Rikku was restless, not used to being sure that she'd bought the right thing. It was obvious that her judgement in matters such as clothing was 99% pinpoint accurate; this was somewhat hindered by her tendency to miss the point entirely.  
  
Aeris gratefully dropped the dress she was holding in a heap on the floor and raced out the door. Luckily for her there was a coffee bar directly opposite Lee's. She bore down on it like a whirlwind. The remaining five girls shrugged and followed her.  
  
Saranomy looked concerned. 'What's wrong, Aeris? You tensed up the moment Yuffie mentioned Vincent.' She saw uncertainty ripple in Aeris' huge pools of turquoise ink. 'Look, whatever it is, there's gotta be one of us who can help you with it.'  
  
Aeris saw that she was right. 'It just.. seems to good to be true. I mean, he's a great guy and all, but I can't help feeling--,'  
  
'Wrong to date your friend? Uncertain?' Lulu cut in, composed as ever. Aeris nodded, and Lulu's eyes seemed to melt slightly. 'It's okay. I was too. He's a really wonderful person, like you say. And I know what happened between me and him was a long time ago, and it didn't work out, but he still stays friends with me. Even I can tell that you should hang onto him. Anyone who sees the way you are together can see how happy he makes you. And him, well, he'd marry Tidus if it meant he could be with you.'  
  
Aeris giggled. 'You should be glad there's such a thing as divorce. I hope you marry Tidus so I can be a bridesmaid without getting heartbroken.'  
  
'Yeah!' said Rikku. 'We'll all be bridesmaids.'  
  
'Rikku,' Yuffie said in an undertone, 'If you say "Yeah!" one more time I will choke you until your tongue turns blue.'  
  
'Don't start saving for the big white wedding yet,' pointed out Lulu. 'It's just a thing. He's not my type.'  
  
'Ha,' laughed Saranomy. 'Hahahaha. How can you boyfriend not be your type?'  
  
Lulu blushed the same red as her eyes and made a gesture at Saranomy. This was probably the most emotion she had shown to the group as a whole, and everyone did a slight double-take.  
  
Yuna was first to recover. 'BOYFRIEND? You and Tidus? I was right. You think he's hot! I bet he's good as a boyfriend.'  
  
Lulu cocked an eyebrow. 'He's no better than, say, Wakka.'  
  
Yuna turned to Yuffie. 'How good is Wakka?'  
  
'He's so cool! He's really sweet and funny and supportive and it's good because it's a mutual thing, but sometimes it feels like I'm more in control.'  
  
Lulu shot a venomous look at Yuffie. 'I don't think Tidus would like it if I controlled him.'  
  
'Not like that! not absolute power! Just so that he respects me.'  
  
Lulu nodded. 'If he didn't respect me I'd prove that he was a contortionist in a previous life.'  
  
Six girls looked mildly shocked and broke into simultaneous smiles. Aeris looked at a clock mounted on the wall. 'We were meant to be back half an hour ago.' Everyone looked at each other and shrugged. No-one made a move to get up.  
  
**++**  
  
Three hours later and they were sat at the same table in the same place. The only difference was that they were four outfits heavier and many, many gil lighter. The six had split into two groups-Rikku (who enjoyed shopping for other people almost as much as for herself), Saranomy, and Lulu, and Yuna, Yuffie and Aeris. It was a lot easier to shop this way and they were now comparing purchases.  
  
Lulu had recently pulled a black Chinese-style fitted ankle-length satin dress from an expensive-looking carrier bag. It had a thigh-length slit up one side and small hot pink and orange brocade flowers covered the fabric. After a few comments about Tidus, the dress had been returned to the relative safety of the bag, and it was now Yuffie's turn.  
  
A swish of tissue paper and plastic revealed a long khaki slip dress with a low back and spaghetti straps. It was very sleek, like Yuffie's chin-length hairstyle, but in a weird way reflected her tomboyishness. She would undoubtedly look good in it.  
  
Aeris smiled. 'You know the wedding idea? Well.. I could marry Vincent!' she announced before showing everyone what she'd bought. It was a white dress, looking suspiciously like very expensive raw silk, fitted down to just above the knees, where it flared out suddenly. It did look strangely like a wedding dress, but it was pure Aeris.  
  
Yuna already had one outfit on standby, and wasn't too worried by her relative failure.  
  
Saranomy was puzzled. 'Why are you all so bothered? You're spending so much! It's just a launch. I was just gonna wear my jeans.'  
  
'You ever been to a SquareSoft launch party?' asked Yuffie.  
  
'Yeah,' came the response. 'At my old place, we had a glass of wine at the end of the day, some of those cheesy biscuit things-,'  
  
'No! You have to remember we're the nation-wide headquarters. We don't just make little cult games here, we get given a lot of the big stuff. Here we have a proper party, with a meal and a booked venue, and a dancing party thing after, or you don't have to dance, you can socialise. And 'cause it's such a big place we don't get time off to get ready, you either have to go home or get sorted at the office after hours. It goes on 'til about midnight. And all these important people are there.' Yuffie was obviously enjoying explaining this.  
  
'Oh.' Saranomy looked a little alarmed. 'Information overload. So it's a little more formal here? I need an evening dress or some other decent clothes?'  
  
'Yes.' Rikku nodded and ate a spoonful of ice cream. 'But not today, and the party's on Friday night,' she added.  
  
Saranomy blinked. 'Oh, joy. I've got four days to find a dress that makes me look good.' She paused, tilting her head to one side. 'At least I don't have the added pressure of a date to dress up for.'  
  
'I don't,' pointed out Yuna amicably.  
  
'Me neither,' said Rikku.  
  
'Vincent doesn't care what I wear,' added Aeris.  
  
'Nor Wakka,' put in Yuffie.  
  
Lulu grinned. 'And I don't give a damn what Tidus thinks. All girls together, right?'  
  
**++**  
  
A/N: I have to apologise here, cos Lulu was a bit (okay, a lot) out of character in this chapter. But I decided that in the game (even if FF10 never happened here) she wears makeup and dresses and stuff, so she should be bothered about what she's wearing to a party. And I can't see her being changed by anyone. And in the strategy guide it says, and I quote, 'Lulu hides a fierce yet compassionate nature'. So I made her passionate about shopping. Sue me.  
  
Anyhoos, hope everyone had a good time whatever holiday you were celebrating, and remember, reviews are nice things. 


	8. In Need Of Therapy

Here it is.. finally, chapter eight!! I apologise sincerely, I really don't like this chapter..  
  
**++**  
  
'How long have we been here, Cloud?'  
  
'Half an hour.'  
  
'Dammit.' Auron cursed under his breath. He hated being dragged along to the gym with Cloud and Vincent, hated the fact that Tidus and Wakka were even in the same room as them, hated the constant talk about women. Most of all he hated the way the only reason they came here was to watch the female butts encased in tight clothing, and the way he was meant to react to this. Recently Vincent, and probably Wakka, were here to stay beautiful for Yuffie and Aeris. Nothing on this earth could stop Tidus' azure orbs following a girl's butt.  
  
But where was he? Yes. Being curmudgeon-ish and irritated by everything about his existence at that moment.  
  
He didn't like the fact that it was Tuesday, and on Friday he would have to get dressed up for the launch of the Moonstrike game. No matter that only half of the game had been completed. The game itself wasn't due for release for at least two months but this way it could be previewed and reviewed in gaming magazines. Because this was the biggest thing to come out of the national headquarters all year, there would be a party. Auron didn't like the way that he was expected to give up his Friday night.  
  
In truth, Auron actually quite liked his job. He just didn't like the extra hours.  
  
Auron didn't like much of the world at the minute.  
  
A girl some form of very tight pink spandex was approaching Vincent with a devilish smile on her lips. 'Hey hot stuff, what do you do to relax?' she cooed, dragging out each word until it was six syllables long.  
  
Vincent halted his progress on the treadmill and looked at her, giving the full-on smile. 'I go home,' he began seductively, 'And then.. I call my girlfriend.'  
  
Tidus and Wakka laughed. Cloud grinned. Auron didn't move. The girl vanished even more quickly than she had appeared.  
  
'So are you and Aeris a thing now?' asked Wakka. 'You think she's hot, ya?'  
  
'No thinking needed, she is hot.' Vincent was adamant. 'And yes, we do have something going on.' Vincent wasn't hugely keen on Wakka and Tidus, but he could live with them, which was obviously an improvement.  
  
'She's gonna be his date on Friday,' explained Cloud. 'Which is pretty damn ironic, considering everyone has been trying to set them up for ages and nothing worked. But now she's his girlfriend. Did I say she's his date? Yeah? Who're you taking, Wakka?'  
  
'Yuffie.'  
  
'Have you two got something going on?' asked Vincent innocently.  
  
'Yeah,' put in Tidus, before Wakka could respond. 'It's sort of an Aeris situation, except nobody tried to set them up. But they had to do some sort of report for Thornton a few weeks ago, and the rest is history. Although it really kicked off at Rikku's party.'  
  
'You don't wanna get on the wrong side of Yuffie,' Cloud warned. 'She's small, but my god, she can be intimidating.'  
  
'It's not just that,' Vincent agreed, squashing Tidus' exclamations about being scared of girls. 'Rikku told me once about how her and Yuffie were in this club, and there was this 6ft 3 guy who came up to them and asked Yuffie to dance. So she said okay, but just one dance. And they danced but at the end of the song he wouldn't let her go. This went on for maybe half an hour, and Yuffie really had to leave, so Rikku got a bouncer, got it all sorted out. But just as they were leaving the idiot got hold of Yuffie's ass and she just turned around and knocked him out in one.'  
  
Wakka chuckled. 'Bet he wouldn't forget that in a hurry.'  
  
'Yeah, the broken nose probably served as a lasting reminder.'  
  
Wakka looked slightly scared. It was clear to everybody he was wondering what the hell he was going to do if he ever wanted to break up with Yuffie. Eventually he spoke. 'I bet Rikku ain't all sugar 'n' spice neither.'  
  
Everyone went quiet. Wakka cursed himself silently. Cloud looked up from the weight he had been toying with and cursed him as well.  
  
Vincent groaned inwardly. Wakka was going down in his estimation; he had a feeling, despite Cloud's insistence, that he wasn't over Rikku entirely. After all, he had learnt that she wasn't 'all sugar 'n' spice' possibly the hardest way in existence.  
  
Cloud shook himself mentally. 'No, she's not,' he managed, his mouth so dry that it hurt to talk. 'But then again, can you name me a girl who is?'  
  
'Lulu's okay,' mused Tidus. 'I mean, she's not exactly a control freak, but she knows what she wants.'  
  
'Lulu's the calmest person I know,' pointed out Vincent, eager to get the subject away from Rikku. 'I've never seen her lose control of anything, even when she's white-hot angry.'  
  
'Me neither,' Tidus agreed. 'If she's my date for Friday nothing can go wrong. Who're you taking, Cloud? Cloud?'  
  
Cloud was a million miles away. Tidus persisted. 'CLOUD!'  
  
'Jeez, Tidus, you wanna get any louder? What do you want?'  
  
'Who's your date on Friday?'  
  
'No-one.'  
  
'Oh.' Tidus looked disappointed, but not overly bothered. 'Auron? What about you?'  
  
Auron was sat on the floor, leaning against the wall. He slid out of his hypnotic state. 'No-one. What else do you want?'  
  
'Uh, nothing.' Tidus looked sheepish.  
  
Wakka broke the uneasy silence. 'C'mon, let's go, ya? It's getting late.'  
  
He stood up and left the room. Tidus cast a cursory glance after him and stepped off the treadmill. He ran a hand through his hair and exited. Vincent and Cloud made to leave; Auron was still sat against the wall.  
  
Auron knew they'd gone. It was okay for him to sit here for maybe ten minutes while the others showered and changed. Not having subjected himself to a workout, he was okay.  
  
He realised that the conversation had, as always, been almost entirely about women. He didn't see why. Some of them caused so much trouble. Even Aeris, Lulu and Yuffie had their moments. Take yesterday for example. They'd gone out with Rikku, Yuna and Saranomy for lunch yesterday and not come back.  
  
However, they had paid for it that morning.  
  
Ms. Thornton had been practically rabid. 'GOING AWAY, JUST LEAVING LIKE THAT! I THOUGHT YOU WERE RESPONSIBLE, ADULT PEOPLE! YET YOU GO ABOUT BEHAVING LIKE A GROUP OF SCHOOLKIDS! I EXPECT YOU ALL TO MAKE THIS UP IN OVERTIME! NOW GET OUT OF MY SIGHT! EXCEPT YOU, SARANOMY!'  
  
Even Auron had felt the unfairness of the next remarks.  
  
The Department Manager had lowered her voice and was speaking at a much higher speed. 'Now, listen to me. You are new here, and I understand that you may take time to get into the swing of things. But it is not a good idea to take time off after working here for just three weeks.  
  
'You are a talented artist, there is no denying that. What I doubt is your ability to work to the highest possible standard, to take responsibility, and to give all you have. Quite frankly I feel that we should never have let Haydn go, and that you could be doing a lot better. No matter what I say at the meetings. One more mistake and you'll be back making little no- profit mistakes at wherever you came from; I have the power to do that.'  
  
Auron hadn't mentioned this to anyone, and anyway, how could he account for being in the store cupboard at that moment? He knew Ms. Thornton had no power whatsoever over who stayed and who went. She had been lying when she said that Saranomy didn't work hard enough; he was sure of that after the conversation, albeit brief, that they'd had over the cats. The whole thing was a power trip on the manager's part and the newest member of the team was an easy target.  
  
Vincent sliced into his thoughts. 'Hey! Do you want to walk home? Get out here.'  
  
Auron rolled his eyes and stood up easily. 'No time to waste. Let's go,' came his curt reply, prompting Vincent to hold the door open. Auron stepped through the frame.  
  
'Hey Auron?'  
  
'Yes?'  
  
'What d'you think about Saranomy?'  
  
'She's different.' Auron was slightly wary, wondering why Vincent was asking him about girls.  
  
Vincent raised an eyebrow and Auron became irritated, continuing, 'She's not from around here.. makes a change.'  
  
Vincent shook his head, looking half amused and half exasperated. 'Cloud says she's fun to be with. You say she's interesting, in not so many words. Someday when things are slow I'm gonna teach you two about women.'  
  
**++**  
  
Okay, so it wasn't that great. Well, not to me anyways. Give me some reviews and I'll carry on. 


End file.
